"Today we are coming a bit closer. We now can print objects in plastics, metal, ceramics and glas. Bioplotters are available for printing tissue and maybe even organs in the future. "

"Put your hand up if you know how to use a CAD package," Harouni asks the audience. A few brave hands go up, but most of the audience look like they're not entirely sure what CAD even stands for. "That's why. If I gave you a 3D printer, you wouldn't be able to use it."

Harouni wants to fix that, with her company Digital Forming. "Tools have emerged that are democratising design and make it possible for this technology to reach the public.

"...chiefly due to developments that allow modern 3-D printers to turn out finished objects in media ranging from the high-grade titanium alloys necessary for aircraft construction to glass, plastics, concrete, and even frosting. Printing finished parts saves on production costs because there is dramatically less waste (especially in the case of airframe components, which can leave up to 90 percent of a block of pricey titanium on the machine shop floor) and it allows manufacturers to tweak designs or customize parts at a fraction of the cost of re-tooling a machining process."

"These 3-D printers, some already costing less than a computer did in 1999, can print objects by spraying layers of plastic, metal or ceramics into shapes. People can download plans for an object, hit print, and a few minutes later have it in their hands."

"Engineers from the Bristol wing of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) have announced the development of the first bicycle using Additive Layer Manufacturing (ALM) technology. The manufacturing process involves "growing" the components from a fine nylon powder, similar in concept to 3D printing."

"Using a technique called contour crafting, they propose sending robots to seed the surface of the moon with the basic infrastructure for a moon base (landing pads, roads, hangars, etc.). Once the construction is completed, human crew could lift off and move into their new home." 3D printing of concrete on the moon.

A first step toward space factories may come from NASA's recent selection of a U.S. startup's proposal to build a 3D printer for the space station. Such printing technology could build any number of objects, layer by layer, based on designs uploaded from mission control. Astronauts would only need "feedstock" material, such as plastic or metal, to make new tools or spare parts on the fly.

"But the idea of encoding an industrial design as a pirate-able torrent does open up intriguing variations on traditional copyright infringement and corporate espionage. What if some enterprising blackhat was able to create a physible of the iPhone 5, and put it on The Pirate Bay for anyone to 3-D print? Who cares if an actual working iPhone wouldn’t come out of the printer--simply revealing the form factor and physical specs of the device in this tangible, detailed way could be massively damaging to the holder of that IP, much more than a blurry photograph."

The irony is that while western consumers aspire to craftsmanship, the majority of the world's population lives in countries that have local craftsmen but aspire to industrialised products. Mass manufacturing will be essential to lifting a billion people out of poverty, and providing basic goods that we took for granted long ago. Meanwhile, we'll be seeing more crafted industrial objects coming our way, as we lust after craftsmanship we can't afford and disdain the industrial products we can.

"After the incredible response to our first Anymatic company: Yogamatic.com. We follow up with the second chapter: Boardshorts. Once again, another subject close to our hearts and lifestyle-championing artists the world over and reinventing the canvas." the DIY shorts to go with your threadless t-shirt